| Show I OLD CLOR CLO IN SONG SONa The most monuments ever erected to commemorate past deeds are those which built by the pens of the poets are found In the literature of at America i J. J Tho The hands that grasped the battle flags in the days J which tried mens men's souls and the hands that hands rands that with the P-eD-lla P fy ave ve banns us catri 60 been full of love for fo bd n t for for co t for country not self V i I Out of at the great number of subjects for literary work offered by American history no other one has received so much attention as the flag Indeed It has been called a floating piece of N poetry It has been the inspiration of ot many manya a poem from the tho pens of that group of New England writers now so dear to American hearts among whom are numbered Bryant Longfellow Whittier Whittier Whit Whit- tier Holmes Emerson and Lowell while the fame of m many ny of our minor poets such as Joseph Rodman Drake and Francis Scott i Key ey ey rests especially especial especial- ly If not entirely on on a single production production tion In honor of ot tb the flag 1 I Naturally a gf t many patriotic I poems have grouped themselves about I Ithe the wars which our history records I The revolutionary war has furnished considerable material of at this char character charac charac- I c ter though most of the poems relating to this period were written long after atter the struggle was ended Probably the earliest mention of the flag in poetry Is found In An Ancient Prophecy a ap p poem em written soon after the surrender of ot Cornwallis and predicting the outcome outcome outcome out out- come of the war thus O 0 king my dear king you shall be bevery bevery bevery very sore From the stars and stripes you will wUl mercy Implore And your lion shall hall growl but hardly bite more Later L the tha first fl ht In the war fox fob Independence haep p l frice is E. E p by Emerson Emerson Emerson Emer Emer- son In words famili r to every American Ameri- Ameri can a flood Their flag to Aprils April's breeze unfurled Here once the emba embattled led farmers stood And fired the shot heard round the world Holmes says In speaking of the heroes heroes he he- heroes roes of the battle of Lexington While oer o'er their ashes the starry fold flying Wraps the proud eagle cagle they roused from his nest Thus showing thE th flag as the emblem emblem emblem em em- blem of the nation which those New England farmers l helped ped to establish In spite of ot the A Prophecy however the growling at attempted attempted attempted at- at tempted a second bIte and the war of 1812 ensued the poets come forward and the the glory Is borne nn and en- en Comrades join the tho flag of glory glory CheerIly tread the deck of or fame Earn a place In future story Seek Seel and win a warriors warrior's name S e e e e eMay May our as ever Splendidly oer o'er freemen burn Till THI the night of war w war r Is over Till THI the dawn of pence peace return It was during a battle of ot this war also that the Banner was written one the of e most mOiSt patriotic and impassioned F savings In iu all literature The Mexican war war too adds Its con con- A poem relating to that contest tells how after after an days day's fight the few tew surviving American soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- diers were able to place the vl victorious flag upon the public buildings Ings of Monterey Monterey Monterey Mon Mon- terey Our banner on those turret wave And there our oUt ev evening bugles play i i i t v k r |
